Leita Valhalla
by Chibiyu
Summary: At the fault of the great god of thunder, no man, dragon, or Viking is safe from the curse that has been created. Berk will never be the same again. -Look inside for a full summary- Rated for future violence, language and gore.
1. Prologue: Exiled

**Leita Valhalla**

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_It was a time when the gods walked the new earth. A time when boundaries had yet to be set and where hatred had yet to exist. Everything was as it should be. But even gods make mistakes. Even they create problems that cannot easily be solved. _

_It was he who helped create this land, he who created these people and he who blessed them. He who angered them. He who created their negative thoughts and dark intentions. And he, who in attempt to fix what he had wrought, cursed them._

_Many battles were fought. Many lives were lost. Many Valkyries flew, but even more were left to watch the grounds open for Helheim. _

_And in time, even the harshest of battles were forgotten as the rain washed away the red stained oasis. The only scars that were left could be seen from the slow healing death of the paradise that once was the earth. _

_Before the gods left to rule from Asgard, the one who started this mess stood on top of the highest mountain, hammer resting at his feet. He breathed in the tainted air with guilt on his strong features. His last words were not of hope, but of the horrid knowledge of what he had done. _

_"Mun engi maðr ǫðrom þyrma."_

_No man will have mercy on one another._

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"Treason!"

The voice boomed through the morning misted valley.

"You'll pay for you actions against your people!"

The gathered crowd was silent as their accusing eyes glared at the two who backed slowly into the painted rocks behind them.

"How is this treason?" a man argued as his voice shook through his angry falsetto. "My actions mimicked the one who gave birth to our people!"

"And doomed them to extinction!"

"We were doomed because of hatred. Because of actions like this!"

The silence stretched further at this statement. The only thing that could be heard was the silent hiss of the fury from the watchers.

"You dare accuse our Father of the curse you are bringing to us?"

"He was the reason the curse was created!" the man dared to contradict.

"Thor was the one who doomed us. ValdríkR is not to blame."

The man glanced back to his partner, who cowered behind him. For these people to reduce such a beauty to a shivering sheep made him angrier than the accusations.

He took a breath and stood tall. "Then have Thor strike us down for following the same path he did."

"Thor shouldn't be bothered with this. It is your blood that has tainted our people; it shall be your blood that stains our hands."

With a tug on his hand, the man turned and bolted across the rocky hills. His swift feet carried him closely behind his mate, but he knew they wouldn't be able to outrun them. When the woman glanced back with wide green eyes, he knew that she thought the same. There was no hope for them.

But the deed had already been done. It started the moment the man washed up on shore in a state of near death of this paradise. It started when she saw the strange figure on the beach and managed to save him. It was her curiosity. It was his recklessness. It was the story in which all love started.

But their story, like most, had a twist. A twist that infected an entire populace. One that killed those who never had a chance at living.

Ones like them. Chosen by the gods to have a fate worse than death.

"Get me the heathens' heads!"

The man did not need to look back to know that they were almost on top of them. He only needed to look into the eyes of his lover to know they shared the same worry. The twist in their story wasn't the love of two who should never share love, but of what they left behind.

"That son of a maggot halftroll will never find her," he promised to her. "She is too fast and too smart. And she knows that we will watch over her even if the gods do not."

The woman nodded sadly, but she did not slow her pace.

"She has accepted her fate. We need to do the same."

The woman shook her head in a silent plea.

"I know she is young," the man urged as he tried to end this tiring pursuit. "But we knew this would happen the moment she came to us."

The woman shook her head and raced ahead of the man. He tried to keep his hold, to make it so they would at least die together, but his hand was only knocked away by a flick of her powerful limb. He was no match for her. And she was none for them.

"A child needs her mother!" she finally broke her silence as she pulled farther away from the man. "And a father to protect her!"

The man slowed his pace as he did not understand her words, but her body language. "Then go." There was no way to change her mind. And no way to change his. "I will buy you whatever time I can."

The mother's eyes smiled at his bravery. She resumed her quick pace and tore her eyes from her love. She knew they would follow her. She knew that if they caught her, she and her daughter would be murdered. But she was a mother out of protect her kin. Nothing could catch her. Nothing could stop her.

"Odin have mercy."

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**Chibiyu: **_All of my OC's will have old Norse names. If you are curious of the meaning of them, just ask me. _

_The title is Old Norse as well Leita = to search for. Valhalla is an enormous hall located in Asgard, which is ruled by Odin (father of Thor). It is the sacred palace in Asgard where half of the people who die in combat go to. _

_I've had this idea for about three months now, but it hasn't felt right to write it. I just not figured out how I want to start it and filled in a lot of the missing holes/questions I've left undone. I hope you enjoy it._

_Coming next chapter: the famous "How To" characters. _

_Until Next Update! (Yes, this is a repost - I wanted to redo how I set it up.)_


	2. The Dragon Slayer

**_Dragon Slayer_**

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"Ruff, Tuff, we take the north!" a scrawny boy on the back of a black dragon yelled.

The two riders of the Zippleback nodded.

"Got it," Ruff said, bored.

"No, I got it!" Tuff argued as he pulled his dragon head toward the north hill of Berk. "I'll get it way faster than you!"

Ruff laughed at this. "In your dreams."

"In my dreams? I dream about _way _more interesting stuff than that."

Tuff snorted. "Like what? Actually having a brain?"

Hiccup shook his head the receding bickering "Snotlout, take the west."

"On it!" the muscled boy on the Nightmare shouted. "If anything tries to stop us, Hookfang and I will annihilate them!"

At the word 'annihilate,' the giant dragon spit ou t a ball of flame.

"No no no no!" it's rider shouted as it flew straight into the heart of the fireball.

"Fishlegs, Astrid," Hiccup pointed to the east as if nothing had happened. "Take the east. I'll take the south. And be careful, we don't know what's out there."

"Judging by the damage, there has to be at least a few Nightmare and Gronckle," Fishlegs began to list off.

Astrid, whose patience was already stretched thin, clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Come on, Fishlegs," she urged as she steered her Nadder off in their given direction.

Hiccup watched them fly off, worry already gnawing at his stomach. "Come on, bud," he told the Night Fury beneath him. "Let's figure this out."

The winds buffeted them, forcing them to fly higher to find some relief. From this height, the island was visibly destroyed: roots where were leaves were supposed to be, rocks were scorched by both lightening and fire and the waves ravaged the shore in the distance. Even the dragons on Berk, trained or not, had either flown off and battled with an unseen enemy or became highly protective of their riders. Stormfly had almost bite off Astrid's hand when she tried to calm her and even Toothless nearly mauled Stoic when he got too close to Hiccup. That was why he had his friends leave the village and search the island; so they wouldn't accidently hurt anyone.

In the distance, an island still burned with a cherry glow from the aftermath of last night. Smoke poured into the sky as if Thor himself had caused this destruction. And it wouldn't have surprised any of the Vikings if he had. They all were helpless to watch the ocean ignite with flames and the horizon become lit with fire instead of stars.

Stoic had forbade them to try to help; it was too dangerous. They would have been flying right into the heart of the unknown and into the heat of the battle. It was a fight Stoic knew they wouldn't win and one Hiccup knew he shouldn't take.

The only relief came when the morning sun rose. The horrible roars and cackling seized at the sight of the first light. Silhouette's of dragons were seen flying away from the carnage – some back to Berk and others off to Odin knows where. The villagers only clue as to what had occurred came in the form of scars and oozing wounds from their beloved dragons.

Now that the madness was seemingly over, it was up to Hiccup and his friends to find out what caused it in the first place and, if even possible, to prevent it from happening again.

"Down there," Hiccup pointed. "You see that too, right bud?"

Toothless grunted in acknowledgement and began a slow dive.

What caught the pairs' eye was a thicket of trees that had been turned to ashes. In the center of the deadness was a vivid red Nightmare. It swung its massive tail at something the duo couldn't see. The dragon roared as it lunged and snapped, only to grab and uproot a young pine. The Nightmare tossed away the twenty foot tree as if it was a nothing more than a twig. Pine needles rained over it, but they only ignited the moment they touched the Nightmare's superheated skin.

"We've got to calm it down!" Hiccup urged Toothless as he maneuvered the tailfin.

Toothless tensed at this; his wings flung open to drastically slow their descent. He looked to his rider with eyes that begged him not to land.

"Toothless, what are you doing?"

The Night Fury shook his head and angled himself when it became clear that Hiccup didn't understand the danger below.

"No," Hiccup messed with the tailfin. "We _are _going down there."

The Night Fury had no choice, but he did protest quietly as to not alert the rampaging dragon below.

"What has gotten into you, Toothless? It's only a Nightmare. We've taken care of worse," Hiccup tried to calm his friend.

Toothless land quietly, but Hiccup had to fight for him to stay still longer enough for him to safely jump off his back and dart around him.

"Toothless!" he exclaimed in annoyance as the dragon bounded in front of him and blocked his path. "I know you're trying to protect me, bud," the teen tried as he held up his hands. "But we need to figure this out. And if anything happens, I have you to help."

Toothless lowered his head in reluctant acceptance and followed Hiccup as he walked into the clearing.

It looked a lot better from the sky. The ground was treacherous and cracked. The fall tress made just as much of an obstacle course for the pair as they did a trap for the Nightmare.

The large dragon was flailing to get under an uprooted spruce. Its hide was covered in fresh wounds and its tail was nearly hacked to pieces. One of the tips to its great horns had been broken off as well as three of its claws. But the poor beast still had fight in it. Its eyes were dilated in pure hatred and determination as it continued to snap at something just out of its reach.

Hiccup cautiously stepped around the beast as he pulled out a small pile of Dragon Nip.

The Nightmare's nostrils flared and he whipped his head around. Hiccup almost backed down at the enraged look of its dilated pupils.

"It's okay," he soothed as he slowly held the dragon nip out in front of him. "I'm a friend."

Though the yellow eyes flicked down to the nip, a growl erupted deeply from the dragon's throat. That growl was the only warning Hiccup received before he was yanked out of ranged before the Nightmare's teeth closed on the spot he was.

"Thanks, bud!" Hiccup breathed as he put a hand on Toothless's nose. "Any ideas?"

The violent cracking of wood had them both taking a few steps back. The Nightmare stood, eyes narrowed in on the toothpick of a boy in front of him. Hiccup put his hands in the air and tried to slow his breathing.

"It's alright," he tried again. "I'm not going to hurt you."

But the dragon would hurt him.

It lunged out, barely missing the boy's prosthetic limb as he jumped away. Toothless was about to pounce on the threat's outstretched neck, but something else beat him to it. The Nightmare let out a earsplitting roar as its own horn was plunged into its neck.

It flung its head violently which made the whatever was on its back fly off, leaving the horn deeply impaled.

Hiccup could only stare as the dragon attacked landed neatly in front of him, one leg out to the side and the other bent so the attacker leaned slightly to the left. Their only support was the one arm which was planted firmly on the ground in front of them. It was a girl, even smaller than him, but muscles prevalent.

Hiccup could stare as she bolted towards the pained dragon without any fear. But the dragon was ready. It whipped around and latched it's teeth onto the girl's right leg. She let out a small cry of pain, but as the Nightmare tossed her up in the air and opened its jaws below her, she connected her fingers into a singular fist.

Hiccup was already on Toothless, the pair in the process of saving the girl, when it became obvious that she didn't need it.

The girl flipped back and used the momentum the dragon supplied her to back her fists right onto the middle of the dragon's snout. The cracking of bones was covered by a pained roar.

"Stop!" Hiccup finally snapped out of his shock when the girl landed again. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Pain erupted from his cheek as her fist slammed into it. He watched Toothless leap over him and land on the girl. He pinned her down with his paw, much like he had done when he first met Hiccup. But instead of cowering in fear like Hiccup had, the girl's eyes brow furrowed at this. She briefly looked to Hiccup and then back to Toothless before she visibly made the connection. Her eyes widened in disbelief and distrust.

"Toothless, let her go," Hiccup ordered. "She was only defending herself."

The Night Fury was about to raise his paw, but the Nightmare beat him to it. It barreled straight into Toothless and stopped with its back leg inches from Hiccup and its other foot dangerously close to crushing the girls head.

Hiccup got a better look at her from under the Nightmare's stomach. She rolled her feet and spit her dark tattered hair from her mouth. Her green eyes were poisoned with anger and fear as she stared at the Nightmare. Her sharp features were tainted with the blood that ran down her temple and from her split lip.

But that was all Hiccup was able to catch before she leapt away from the Nightmare's thrashing foot. The dragon had turned to face the fishbone of Viking. It let out an exhale that had Hiccup's hair standing on end from the stench of fresh gore. The teen thought about turning and running, but he knew he wouldn't get far.

The Nightmare opened its mouth and inhaled. It was about to let loose a jet of fire when Toothless barreled into the dragon's side. The Nightmare rolled, Toothless now on top and scratching up its unprotected stomach. The Night Fury leapt onto the neck of the injured beast and opened its mouth.

The unmistakable scream before a Night Fury's plasma blast was what had Hiccup running forward.

"NO!"

Toothless closed his mouth but did not move.

"Toothless, stop!"

The Night Fury gave Hiccup his best doe eyes, however his rider shook his head.

"It's just protecting himself, Toothless! We'll get the others and take it back to Berk to heal."

Toothless retracted his teeth and stopped his growling. The Nightmare took his as an opening. It bucked and flipped as quickly as it could. Toothless lost his grip and landed unsteadily on an overturned tree. The Nightmare went to charge, but a rock nailed the dragon in the eye. It turned to face the girl only to have Toothless blast the other side of its face.

During this moment of distraction, the girl glanced to Toothless and he looked back to her. She nodded one and sidestepped until she was only feet from the black dragon. She bent down and snatch something long and white from the ground. When the Nightmare finally lowered its head again, it was faced with not one enemy, but two. Toothless roared as loudly as he could and the girl chucked one of the Nightmare's own claws.

The dragon turned just in time for the weapon to dig into its shoulder. Pathetically it whimpered for it knew it was beaten. It turned towards Hiccup as if wondering if it could still take a toothpick as a souvenir, but Toothless's growl changed its mind.

As soon as the dragon's back was to the girl, she charged for what Hiccup knew to be the final time. She jumped and used the dragon's haunch as a spring board. With a flash of silver, a small dagger appeared in her hand.

"Don't!" Hiccup yelled.

The Nightmare bucked at the sudden weight, but it wouldn't be quick enough to dodge the girl's final blow.

But Toothless was. He bounded over and knocked the girl out of the air. Only this time, she managed to roll away from his paws and jaw in order to land free.

The Nightmare took the opening and leapt into the air. It managed to fly high enough to be out of reach and seemed to be gathering its strength before it managed to fully escape.

With the danger passed, the girl straightened and stared hard at Hiccup. She gave him a look, as if curious but also unimpressed by him – something Hiccup had gotten used to over the years being known as "Useless." It also gave Hiccup another opportunity to look at her.

Though covered in blood, Hiccup could tell that she wasn't a native to this area. Her skin was porcelain and hair black. Her hair was a mess, but he was able to distinguish that it had been pulled back and hung loosely down her back. At Hiccup's stare, the girl quickly pushed her hair over her shoulder so it cascaded just below her chest. She looped it around itself so the rest of the hair was tied down.

Her clothes were the oddest of sights; they were something that made Hiccup gesture Toothless back over to him. Her shirt was loose around her neck and was cut short just two inches after her shoulder. It hung low, ending in the middle of her behind. The back of her shirt was purposefully removed. But even that didn't faze Hiccup. It was the fact that the shirt was made out of black scales that made him put his hand on the dragon's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Hiccup asked, his tone guarded.

The girl did not answer him. She only pressed her lips together.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Hiccup told her. "I just want to know why you were fighting that dragon. And why you're here on Berk."

The girl blinked at the island's name, but kept silent.

Hiccup sighed. "You can trust me." He took a step forward.

The girl instantly took two back, her frame suddenly tensing as fear flooded into her face.

"No no!" Hiccup opened his vest to reveal that he was unarmed. "See? No weapon."

The girl did not lose her posture nor did she open her mouth.

"Come back to my village," he offered. "Toothless and I will protect you. We have people that can help you," he said as his eyes landed on her bloody leg. "And then maybe you can give us some answers."

The girl continued to stare.

"You can trust me."

But there was something there you couldn't trust.

Toothless and the girl both jumped up at a growling sound. Their heads whipped to the Nightmare which still hovered above. It let out what had to be its last blast of fire. Toothless instantly drew Hiccup close and shielded the boy. Hiccup flinched from the sudden heat, but thanks to his trust friend, was unharmed.

"Thanks, Toothless."

The dragon purred in response.

Hiccup looked up to see the red dragon retreating. The miserable creature left a trail of blood with each down stroke. The boy next looked to the girl that had caused the dragon's misery, only to find her gone. He scanned the area and strained his ears, but in spite of his best efforts, he didn't even catch the snapping of a twig.

A shine a few feet away caught his eye. He walked over to the object and knelt. He picked it up and inspected it a closely. It was a silver headband, that was snapped in half. On each side there was a wing, one like Thor wore in the legends.

"Hiccup!"

He turned and waved to Astrid and Fishlegs while tucking the object away.

"Are you okay?" she called as Stormfly landed. "What happened?"

"Astrid," he started but he quickly held his tongue. "Let's find the others. I'll tell you all then."

She looked around for a moment before she nodded. "Let's get going then."

As Hiccup got situated on Toothless's saddle, the dragon raised his gaze towards the top of the trees. His gaze met another and he watched the girl put a finger to her lips. She was only watching the trio, nothing more. To Toothless, this was no danger; he would hold his tongue for now.

"You ready, bud?"

The three took off and quickly found the others by circling the island. Hiccup led them back to the Dragon Academy before he started speaking.

"I still don't know everything," he began. "But I do know this." He spun his tale about the Nightmare that refused to back down and about the mysterious girl who was even more deadly than the dragon.

"So the gods are mad at a girl?" Tuffnut jabbed his elbow into his sister's side. "Big surprise."

Ruff rolled her eyes. "A girl mad the gods mad?" she got a sly smile on her face and laughed. "Girls rule!"

"No," Hiccup put his face in his hand. "We don't know that. All we know is that there is a hostile on the island." He pulled out the headband he found. "And she left this behind."

The group all peered at it, but no one offered any explanation.

"So does anyone know how this girl is wearing armor made out of Night Fury scales?" Fishlegs dared ask.

"She obviously got lucky. I mean if I can't take down a Night Fury, then no girl can," Snotlout pompously puffed out his chest.

Toothless and Astrid both glared at him.

"You know," Snotlout tried to redeem himself. "If I wanted to take down a Night Fury."

"What if she tries to attack our dragons?" Astrid stepped forward with worry.

"I don't think she will," Hiccup said. "Once the Nightmare took off, she almost seemed afraid of me."

It took a moment, but soon three of the six members were on the ground laughing.

"Afraid?" Snotlout chortled. "Of a toothpick? Maybe it was all of his raw Viking-ness that scared her?"

"Wait," Hiccup pointed to the boy. "You may be on to something."

Snotlout looked surprised but he quickly covered it with a smirk. "Duh, of course I am! I'm the one with the brains around here."

Astrid and Hiccup exchanged a look before he continued.

"Viking!"

No one caught on.

"We are Vikings!"

Fishlegs jumped up. "And this headband isn't like anything we've seen! She isn't like us!"

"So she is afraid of us?" Astrid asked, skeptical.

"And not the dragons?" Ruff added, confused.

Tuff laughed. "I'd be afraid of us too. Just look at what you girls turn into once a month."

Ruff took off her helmet and mashed it in her brother's face. While he was doubled over and clutching his nose, Astrid knocked him on the back of his head so he kissed the arena's floor.

"Oh I am hurt, I am very much hurt!"

"Good," Astrid muttered while she crossed her arms.

"So," Hiccup brought the groups attention back to the headband. "If she isn't like us, then who is she?"

"I know who she is," Fishlegs whispered dramatically, face hidden slightly as he ducked it. "She's a dragon slayer."

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**Chibiyu: **_Alright, the "How To" characters have been introduced and the plot can begin to roll. Yay! See you all on Wednesday. Until Next Update! _


	3. A Chance Discovery

**_A Chance Discovery _**

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"Really, Fishlegs?" Hiccup rolled his eyes. "A dragon slayer?"

"She could be, Hiccup! What if Alvin hired her to take out our dragons!"

Hiccup crossed his arms at this, amused at the idea. "Alright, I suppose a girl our age could be a dragon slayer. But would Alvin really trust someone else to take down the biggest threats on his enemy village?"

"Unless," Astrid pointed out. "He wants her dead. Or she is a spy. That would explain why she ran away from Hiccup! She must have been told to not be seen by anyone."

"We should tell the Chief," Fishlegs suggested nervously.

"Let me do it! I'll explain to him how the girl only managed to escaped the wrath of Snotlout by wriggling away in a hole I couldn't fit. And Hookfang was out of fire so he couldn't burn her out."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Okay," he agreed. "And then you can explain to him why you let her go."

Snotlout only stared at Hiccup as the answer eluded him.

"I'll tell him," Hiccup vowed. "In the meantime, you guys make sure that our dragons are safe. We can't take any chances."

The teens broke off once they left the Arena.

"Alright, Bud," Hiccup sighed. "How do we tell this to my dad without him running off to capture her?"

When he didn't hear Toothless's usual purr or feel his nose nudge his hand, the boy turned.

"Toothless?"

The dragon turned its head to stare at his rider.

"What are you doing?"

Toothless looked at Hiccup for a second longer before he bounded off, occasionally looking over his shoulder to see if Hiccup was following.

"Toothless?"

He stopped and looked over a Hiccup in order to urge in forward.

"Where are you going?"

When Toothless responded by running further away, Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"At least wait for me!"

Toothless complied, but he barely waited for Hiccup to be on his back before he continued his race to Odin knows where. The Night Fury ran through the thick trees, refusing Hiccup's attempts to get him airborne. He ran at a dizzying pace and left no landmarks, something that did not elude Hiccup's keen eye.

"Whoa!"

Toothless took a tight turn and skid a few feet in order to stop. Hiccup had no chance; he flew through the air and landed in a pile of fallen leaves.

"Toothless!"

Hiccup salvaged what was left of his dignity as he pulled himself up.

"Bud?" Hiccup stood and brushed himself off. "Where did you...?"

His question was cut short when he heard a hum that was too melodic to be anything but human. The boy peered through the branches. He had to restrain himself from jumping back at the sight. It was a girl.

_The _girl.

She sat on a rock, injured foot dangled in the brook. Her hair had been detangled and was now neatly knotted around itself and thrown over her right shoulder. It was allowed to flow freely, not tied in a braid like the norm on Berk. Her eyes were soft as she cleaned out the two puncture marks on her leg. So no longer looked like the blood stained murderer, but like a small scared hiccup who would break from the smallest of touch; a glass doll that had been shattered and glued back together.

Including the touch of the dragon that was currently prowling behind her.

Hiccup waved his arms, trying to get Toothless to stop, but his dragon had that look in his eye.

But so did the girl.

She spared Toothless a glance before she went back to tending to her wound. She ignored Toothless as he crept up to the stream, still a good distance from her. The only time she looked his way was when he continued to stare and that was for a brief moment.

Hiccup watched her continue to hum as she removed her other boot and dipped both feet in the stream. She leaned over and cupped her hands in the water with a small smile.

And splashed his dragon.

Toothless bucked up in surprise, eyes wide as he shook his head to dry it. He playfully glared at the girl, who had a not-so-innocent smirk on her face and silently put his tail in the water.

Hiccup had to stop himself from jumping up and down to stop his dragon. If she really was what Fishlegs thought, then provoking her would not be a good idea. The teen waved his arms frantically and even dared to get as close as he could without revealing himself. He was surprised that the girl didn't hear the pounding of his heart. However, when a dragon has their mind set on something, there is no stopping them.

With the water he had scooped with the tailfin, Toothless gave the girl a dousing. She squealed at the impact, but after it, steam could have been rising from her head. She glared at the dragon, knuckles white from the tension in her fists. But when Toothless started his throaty chuckle, the girl couldn't help but crack a smile. She shook her head and looked down to the potential danger that was his tail. Her eyes widened. Hiccup watched her follow the prosthetic up his dragon's body and to the peddle. She finally looked the dragon in the eye, an emotion on her face Hiccup could not identify.

She stood without a wince and walked fearlessly up to Toothless. She paid no heed to his warning growl or the way his pupils dilated when she didn't back down. What she did next had Hiccup standing as tall as he could in order to see more in hopes to clear his confusion.

She put her hand over her heart, three fingers fisted and her index and middle finger pressed together and straight out. And she bowed low, her right leg going out behind her.

Toothless titled his head to the side as he was given full view of the girl's neck. He didn't move and neither did she. He lowered his head to try and look at her face, to try and figure out what this girl was doing.

She slowly lifted her head, face out of Hiccup's view. Toothless's eyes widened in surprise and he took a step back, but not in a fearful way. Instead, he used the new distance between them to lower his own head in a form of a bow. The girl straightened and put her hand out in front of her, right above Toothless's nose.

Hiccup pushed the branch out of his way as he stepped into the small clearing. He watched Toothless lift his head without a second thought. The girl smiled at the contact and brought her other hand to rest on Toothless's cheek. The dragon raised his head further so he was level with the girl.

Then, the wind switched so it blew against Hiccup's back.

The girl stiffened and turned so quickly that Toothless was whacked in the face with her hair.

Hiccup opened his mouth to try and calm her, but the girl already had her discarded boots in her hand and was racing off.

"Wait!"

Hiccup nearly slid down the shallow slope as he chased the girl. She was stumbling as she tried to put on her boots as she ran and limping slightly from her wound, but she was still far ahead of Hiccup. She leapt gracefully over the logs, roots and had no trouble with her footing on the loose leaves, and Hiccup seemed to have issues with every one of them.

"I just want to talk!" he yelled as the girl leapt over a closed Whispering Death hole. "You can trust me!"

The girl shot him a look of disbelief as she continued to bolt. She ran towards a large pine and jumped. Her fingers barely reached the lowest branch. She clung to it and pulled herself up as quickly as possible. She climbed with speed and grace that Hiccup had never seen - not even from Astrid who trained stealth combat since she could walk.

By the time Hiccup was at the base of the tree, she was a good three stories in the air. For a moment, they only looked at each other; one pair of eyes wide and almost camouflaged, the other confused and soft.

"Listen to me," Hiccup asked gently as he held her gaze. "I am not going to hurt you. I just need to get some answers."

When the girl didn't respond, or move, Hiccup tried again.

"What's your name?"

Nothing.

"Can you talk?"

She blinked, but nothing else changed.

"Can you understand me?"

At the silence, Hiccup ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay," he breathed to himself. "I can do this."

Toothless finally caught up to him, having been walking at a leisurely pace. He looked once to the girl, then to Hiccup, and snorted, as if both bored and laughing at the two.

"Well at least she trusts you!" Hiccup told his dragon with frustration. "Wait," the light bulb went off as Hiccup said this. "She trusts you. And you trust her!"

Toothless stared at him, waiting for more.

"She isn't going to hurt you?"

Toothless sat, still waiting.

Hiccup looked back up to see an empty branch. "And she is gone again." Hiccup sighed as he looked back to his dragon. "She may not be after you, bud, but then why was she attacking that Nightmare?"

If Toothless had been capable of answering, he would have been cut off by a loud cut of the wind.

"What is that?"

Toothless roared at the sky as something small barreled into Hiccup and knocked him roughly to the ground just before a blast of chill air hit him. Goosebumps instantly formed on his exposed skin and a shiver ran down his spine. He didn't have time to think this over before he was pulled to his feet and pushed under tree with thick branches.

Hiccup watched as the girl looked to the sky, horror on her face. Toothless, who had let out a plasma blast, had also taken cover. But the leaves above his head were frosted over and the bark coated in snow.

Hiccup risked a look at the sky. What he saw was not something he knew. It was a dragon, one with a serpent like body and two small arms. It's head was triangular and sleek, built for speed. Its size was 'comparable to that of a Nightmare, but thinner. Its stomach was white while its top side and claws were a light blue that seemed to change colors in the different light. It's spikes traveled down the entire length of its body and covered much of its head. The membrane of its wings and the spikes seemed transparent and almost colorless, as if ice. And it's eyes were the most venomous shade of yellow Hiccup had ever seen. And those eyes were set on the girl in the clearing.

That is when it fully set in: the girl wasn't attacking the dragons, the dragons were attacking her.

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**Chibiyu: **_So what are your theories about the girl? I didn't have it in me to write another action scene, so that will come with next chapter. See you next Wednesday. Until Next Update!_


	4. For the People

**_For the People_**

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"We have to get her out of there, bud!" Hiccup yelled to his dragon.

Toothless roared in agreement, but as soon as he tried to step foot in the clearing, the serpentine dragon let loose another chilled breath.

"Keep it distracted!" The Viking yelled as he tried to make his way from under the trees. Toothless tried again to move, only to have the ice dragon put him right back where he started.

Hiccup finally was able to finish his circle around the clearings outskirts and he got as close to the girl as he dared. She eyed him cautiously, but was quick to look back to their attacker.

"We need to get you out of here," Hiccup urged, holding out his hand. "My village can protect you."

Her eyes narrowed at this with anger Hiccup understood all too well. She didn't want to rely on his village; she could do this herself. Even with her small stature, she nearly took down a Nightmare – she didn't need help in this fight either.

"Okay," Hiccup nodded slowly. "Go do your thing. If you need us, Toothless and I have your back."

She pointed to the Night Fury, aimed her fingers towards the air and wiggled them.

"You need his fire?"

One nod was his response.

"Where?"

The girl pointed to the dragon's tail and to the spikes that lined its frost coated body.

"If you can get me to him, then we can do that," Hiccup told her, his gaze on the ice dragon's efforts to keep his dragon from entering this battle. The ground was covered in a thick layer of perfect ice, the leaves frozen so quickly that they still had their green and large bumps where roots once protruded.

The girl smiled at the challenge, a glint of excitement in her eye. She bent over and lifted her foot. Hiccup watched her pull and twist one of the dragon teeth that lined the top of her boot. He jumped when a sharp steel beam popped out. She did the same with her other foot, her balance kept thanks to a tree.

"What...?" Hiccup only had time to ask that before he had his answer.

The girl ran onto the ice, no, glided onto it. The attachments to her boots allowed her slide across the slick surface with ease. She pushed herself to a speed Hiccup was amazed at and her movements quickly caught the ice dragon's eye.

It roared and set about to chase her to the opposite end of the frozen clearing. Hiccup chose that moment to move towards Toothless. He motioned for the dragon to stay quiet until they were able to help. But it wasn't easy work – Hiccup's prosthetic leg had no traction on the ice. He tried to slide as the girl had done, but he couldn't control his balance or his direction. He was seriously debating on just crawling over to Toothless when the Night Fury decided that he was done waiting.

However the sound of the plasma blast had the negative effect of drawing the attacker's attention to them instead of their distraction.

"Aim for the tail!" Hiccup shouted to Toothless.

The Night Fury was hesitant at the order, but when his eyes focused on the sheer and cracked tailfin, he fired.

The dragon was expecting this. It flung its tail out of the way to send itself into a quick spin. The trio had to make some quick moves in order to dodge the falling ice shards their attacker rained down. But they also provided Hiccup a means for balance on the slush. So with sopping pant legs, thanks to Toothless turning the ice at Hiccup's feet to a muddy mess, the teen managed to find his way back to his dragon.

Meanwhile, the girl had taken a smaller ice shard and hurled it in the air. It smacked into the side of the flying serpents face, gaining its attention.

She stood tall as she faced the massive beast, her small dagger in hand. She let out a breath before she charged towards it, and it towards her.

And its tail whipped out right in front of Toothless.

And the Night Fury didn't hold back.

The ice dragon yelped out in surprise as it was suddenly thrown off course. The girl skid out of the way as the dragon fell to the ground, tailfin a steaming melted nothing. The dragon took a moment to look at its injury before it slowly lifted itself from the ground and let out a terrible roar.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, the air was filled with _thuds _of many wings. Of many roars.

"Let's go!" Hiccup shouted, already on Toothless. He urged the Night Fury forward and held out his hand for the girl as they neared her. She took one look at his hand before she skated ahead.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup yelled in frustration. "We need to get out of here!"

The girl pointed to the sky and shook her head. Flying would only get them seen. She then pointed to the trees with one hand as her other worked on getting her boots in running shape.

Hiccup nodded in understanding. "Where?"

The girl gestured for the pair to follow before she dove into the trees along a familiar path. They all raced off, literally running from sounds and shadows. More than once, they ducked under thick branches and held their breath as a dragon passed overhead. When they finally reached their destination, the sky was filled with aggravated growls, hovering wings and racing shadows.

The girl had her eyes on the sky and her finger on the caved-in hole that used to house a Whispering Death. She pointed to Toothless, then to the hole, and nodded. The Night Fury raced off and soon vanished into the depths. She held up her hand to Hiccup and waited for the skies to clear again before she pulled him into her hideout.

A hideout that reeked of dragon dung.

The girl pushed Hiccup further into the hole when the smell momentarily paralyzed him. She stayed towards the opening, the wind swirled through the tunnel and pushed her hair forward.

That is when it hit Hiccup: it covers our scent.

How long they stood, huddled in the stinky hole and holding their pounding hearts, Hiccup would never know. He was too busy going over everything this girl had done with her time on Berk. She almost killed a Nightmare in self defense. She ran away from him and his friends. She befriended Toothless. She was familiar with dragons that Hiccup had never even heard of. She was brave enough to stand in front of and run towards an attacking dragon.

And just after she connected with his dragon, the wind had shifted so it blew on Hiccup's back.

Did she really smell him? Is that how she knew he was there?

A crack of a stick snapped Hiccup back to reality. He watched the girl slowly enter the light of the hole's mouth and look up. She sighed, shoulder's falling, and leaned against the dirt to stare at the Viking boy.

"So you can understand me," Hiccup confirmed.

The girl smiled small, as if mocking the question.

"Can you talk?"

A nod.

"So why don't you?"

She looked away at this, smile replaced by a sad frown.

"Okay," Hiccup said as put a hand on Toothless. "Why are those dragons attacking you?"

The girl looked to her hands as she tried to answer this without words.

"Never mind," Hiccup held up his hands when he realized that this question wasn't going to be answered coherently. "So you're not a threat to me or Toothless?"

She stared at him, face in distaste from the question.

"You are a threat?"

She shrugged once, clearly saying that she could be.

"But you won't hurt us?"

She looked hard at the boy and then to his dragon before she slowly shook her head. A warning, however, was strong in her body language. I won't if you don't give me a reason, she seemed to be saying. To anyone who hadn't seen her in action, they would have laughed at this. A porcelain hiccup able to hurt a Viking? It just seemed impossible.

"Come back to my village, then," Hiccup asked. "Once we explain all of this to my father, he can protect you and we can stop this!"

The girl was quick to shake her head.

"Why not?"

She pointed to the helmet on Hiccup's head and she drew her thumb across her throat.

"They won't hurt you."

She nodded in argument.

"You don't know that."

She crossed her arms in defiance.

"We're different. Just look at me and Toothless!"

She shook her head, unconvinced.

"Why won't you trust me?"

She pointed once more to his helmet before she began to climb out of the dung hole.

"Wait!" Hiccup, with Toothless's help, reached the top of the hole before she had a chance to disappear again. "How can we stop the dragon's from attacking you?"

She looked over to the boy, her face untrusting. But she did answer: she dragged her thumb across her neck.

"Why?"

She pointed to her heart and made a beating motion.

"That doesn't really answer my question."

She shrugged in an uncaring manner before she started walking off, eyes back on the sky.

"If you don't trust me, then why did you save me?"

She stopped, thoughts clearly back on when she pushed him out of the way of the dragon's freezing breath. She looked back and pointed to Toothless. More importantly, to his tailfin and saddle.

"Because I saved him?"

Hiccup said, eyes on Toothless. "Why...?" When he looked back, he was surprised to see the girl still standing there. "Why do you care?"

She looked away from both of them, face suddenly fallen.

"What's wrong?"

She glanced over to Toothless once before she turned her back to them. Hiccup watched her jog off – he had no doubt that this wouldn't be their last meeting.

"Come on, bud," he finally got on Toothless. "Let's go tell my dad about this."

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"So," an oily voice whispered across the misted valley. "The girl is still alive." He reached over and gently brushed his fingers over the scars of the Nightmare in front of him. "And fighting."

"But Reign," a quiet voice dared interrupt. "Vikings are on that island. If they find her, they will kill her. We don't need to start another war. Not now. We only just found Haven."

Reign bowed his head in thought, eyes still going over the oozing wounds of his spy. "We'll keep our eyes on her. If the Vikings fail, then we have no choice."

"But the curse!" the girl tried again, eyes flicking nervously to their impatient audience. "If we kill her..."

"I know the consequences!" he roared.

The girl flinched back violently, her posture instantly changing to submissive.

"But we don't have to be the ones to kill her, do we?" he asked, voice deathly soft. "This won't mimic her birth. Our people will be immortal, just as ValdríkR promised us when Thor betrayed us."

At the God of Thunder's name, the valley was filled with rustles and hisses of distaste.

"Thor decided to make war by sending her to us," Reign announced as he spread his arms to the bitter wind. "And we shall send her back to him. Nothing can stop our growth. Not even his petty curse."

The crowd roared in agreement.

"And if she does die at the hands of those filthy Vikings," he continued, arms lowering. "Then they shall be the ones who are cursed. If they do kill her, we attack them and claim their land as our own. The time of the Vikings will be over!"

"And," the girl questioned once again. "If they do not kill her?"

Reign cupped her chin with his rough hand. "Then we change their minds."

"How? Vikings are the most stubborn species out there."

"My dear Bani," Reign almost cooed. "Once they find out who she truly is, they will fear her. And you know what Vikings do to those they fear?"

Bani tore her face out of Reign's grip, disgust in her light eyes. "They murder. Just as we do."

Reign let his hand fall, it curling into a fist. "What makes you say that, Bani?"

She flicked her black hair from her face in defiance of the young man. "If your father hadn't exiled her and her mother, if he hadn't killed her father, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

Reign's lips flicked upwards into a cruel smirk. "You always were soft on the little _fae."_

Bani shrugged her arms. "She was one of us until we learned the origins of her birth. But my feelings for her now are nothing but betrayal."

Reign crossed his arm, easily able to see the truth in her stance. "Her death will please you?"

Bani looked behind her to see the thirsty eyes of her people. "If it pleases the people, then it pleases me."

Reign smiled at this. "And why is that?"

It was Bani's turn to spread her arms. "Because we are what the Vikings, what the gods, never were."

"And that is?"

Bani smiled devilishly. "United."

Reign nodded. "And what does this allow us to do?"

Bani turned towards the crowd, her back now to Reign. "To become the only immortal race!"

"And to do this, whom must we kill?"

"The gods!"

"The Vikings!"

"The _fae_!"

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**Chibiyu: **_Hey guys, so I know I missed an update last Wednesday. Sorry! I've just been so busy and dead this week AND I managed to cut off a good chunk of my thumb at work the other day so writing has been a slower than normal process. But I will get back on track, I promise! Until Next Update! _


	5. The Storm's Horizon

**_The Storm's Horizon_**

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"The threat is a _what?!"_

"She isn't a threat, dad!" Hiccup tried to reason with the Chief of Berk. "Not to us. The _dragons _ are attacking _her._"

Stoic stroked his beard as he thought this over. "Can't you stop the beasts?"

The boy shook his head. "I tried to, but nothing worked."

Stoic nodded. "And the girl did not come here for protection?"

Again, Hiccup shook his head.

"Good. That would have led those dragons right to Berk. We're already expecting another Outcast raid; we don't need a dragon one to go along with it."

Though the memory of being locked on Outcast island with Mildew was still fresh in Hiccup's mind, he couldn't help but throw his arms in the air at this answer. "So you're just going to let her fend for herself? To die? Besides, the Outcasts won't do anything until the end of the storm season!"

"I have to do what is best for my people, Hiccup." Stoic turned his back to his son. "Even if that means taking down that girl. And you said it yourself, the storm is nearly upon us. If that doesn't stop all of this, then we may have to."

"What?! Dad, no!"

"You said it yourself, Hiccup. The dragons will keep attacking until that girl is dead."

Hiccup grabbed his dad's arm in protest as the large man started to walk away. "But..!"

"No, Hiccup! I can't risk the safety of my people. That is final."

Hiccup shook his head. "So you're going to kill her if she comes anywhere near the village?"

"Look," Stoic said as he ran his hand over his face. "Son, being Chief isn't about making everyone happy. It's about doing whatever you can to keep the majority safe. Even if it means hurting another person. Do you understand that?"

Hiccup hung his head at this, the words weighing heavier than they should have. "Yes, dad."

"Good."

Hiccup watched his dad walk to the village's center and meet Goober. He sighed and shook his head. "What now, bud?"

Toothless looked to the woods, a sad but determined look on his face. He growled softly, not ready to give up.

"You're right," Hiccup nodded. "We can still try." The boy turned to look to the sea, a frown appearing on his face. "And we have to do it quickly." All around him, his fellow Vikings were boarding up any and all holes in their homes, bringing wagon after wagon of supplies to the Great Hall and making sure that everyone was accounted for. All because of the rapid rise in heat.

This morning had been brisk, per usual, but with the sun came heavier air that made flying feel like swimming. Clouds formed all too quickly and they all seemed to gather in a black mass over the northern horizon.

Every Viking knew what this meant – the winter was about to begin. The rain would flood the island and reshape the sea, lightning would often demolish the entire village and thunder would keep every child up at night. It was the time Thor punished all of the year's wrong-doings so the people could being anew. And all the people of Berk could do was hunker down in the Great Hall and pray that the God of Thunder would be merciful and not take away the doors.

During this time, there were no dragon raids, no roars, nothing. Everything was hidden away and sheltered. Everything that dared to risk the mighty winds, was tossed into the chaos and never seen again.

Toothless too eyed the clouds with unease: he nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"We have one night 'til the storm, 'iccup! Bucket's bucket can't get much tighter!" Mulch greeted the boy with a warning. "Bucket and I got our fish ready, I hope you have yours!"

"He can 'ave some of ours!" Bucket enthusiastically stated.

"Of course he can, Bucket," Mulch agreed. The hairy man leaned closer to Hiccup and tapped his head. "Remember, son, the tighter the bucket, the worse the storm."

"Thanks, Mulch," Hiccup half-heartedly said as he backed away from the two. "I'll get right on that. After all," be breathed once they were out of earshot. "My father won't notice if a few fish are missing."

Toothless raised his head at this, curious.

"He said that being Chief is about keeping the majority safe, right?" Hiccup asked his dragon. "So that is exactly what we're going to do."

Toothless got that excited gleam in his eye as he bound a few steps forward.

"Come on, bud," Hiccup gestured. "It's just like old times."

"Going behind your father's back to help the girl?"

Hiccup jumped at Astrid's voice. "Can you stop doing that?!" he exasperated, hand over his heart.

"No," Astrid said with a determined face. "And I want to meet her. You may trust her, but _I _don't."

Hiccup glanced to Toothless, as though asking for his help. "The thing is, Astrid," he started, tone careful. "She doesn't trust me. She only trusts Toothless."

"And bringing me along may stop her from trusting you?" Astrid guessed with her hands on her hips.

"Yes."

Astrid scoffed at this. "Don't you think that maybe she would be more likely to open up to a girl?"

Hiccup thought this over. It didn't seem likely, but it couldn't hurt to try. "Well, I am sure that Ruffnut would be happy to help," he dryly joked. He enjoyed the way Astrid's frown deepened for a second before the her smile broke through.

He did not enjoy her fist meeting his shoulder.

"Ow!"

"So am I coming?" she nearly threatened, but the smile betraying her.

Hiccup nodded with a laugh. "I don't think Toothless and I have much of a choice." He mounted Toothless. "I'll pick you up one everyone has gone to bed. Stormfly should stay behind – too many dragons may scare her."

"Okay," Astrid agreed. "I'll bring some of my family's food as well."

"Good idea. In the meantime," Hiccup patted Toothless's shoulder. "We'll make check out the island and make sure the rogue dragons are gone."

Astrid nodded. "Be careful."

"We will be."

With a small nudge, Toothless took to the sky. The pair circled the island from high above, both expecting to see more carnage than before, but all was calm.

"Maybe the storm scared them off?" Hiccup asked, rather hopeful. "We should make sure the girl has a safe spot."

Toothless was already one step ahead of Hiccup and he was already banking around the tallest point of the island. He settled down on one of the lower outcroppings and pointed his nose into a small cave. Hiccup easily slid off of Toothless and slowly approached the entrance of the cave.

"Hello?" he called into the shadows.

The small Viking jumped at the scuffling behind him. He turned to see the girl jumping up next to Toothless, her hands full of Night Fury scales.

"Where did you get those?"

She gave him a wide-eyed stare before she frowned and held the scales tighter.

"Was there another Night Fury on the island?"

Again, no response. She slowly skirted around Hiccup and dropped them in a small pile towards the back of the cave. Hiccup approached slowly to find that she had gathered a fair few of them already. Aware of her glare, he picked up one to examine it before he put it back.

"Where did you find these?" he tried again. "Toothless hasn't shed any of his scales. So where did you get these?"

The girl pushed him away roughly so she could get back into the sunlight. She glared at Toothless, who looked away from her anger. But as soon as she looked away from him, he peered at her back with a rather playful gaze. Hiccup watched him creep up behind her and poke her with his nose.

She glanced back at him and forced her smile down as she pushed his head away. She plopped down on the edge, feet dangling below her and arms tightly crossed. Her eyes were pointed on the storm as she searched the rapidly approaching clouds. However this was made difficult by the wind; it kept pushing her loose hair into her vision. She sighed, one hand on the side of her head to keep her hair back and a pout on her lips.

"Okay," Hiccup huffed as he stood over the girl. "Did you kill a Night Fury to get those scales?"

The girl's face whipped around and Hiccup was met with the harshest glare he had ever encountered.

"Alright, alright!" he put his hands in the air. "You didn't kill one. But are you going to tell me where you got them?"

The way she turned away from the boy and continued her pout was a definite 'no.'

"Fine," Hiccup breathed as he resisted to steal a final glance at the scales. "I'll be coming back tonight with some food to help you through the storm. And a friend is coming with me. Astrid. She doesn't exactly trust anything until she sees it with her own eyes."

The girl made no move to show Hiccup she heard him. She just continued to watch the dark clouds.

"And I went to my dad. The chief."

This got her attention. Her ears seemed to perk up and her gaze slid over to him, head still turned towards the horizon.

"You need to let me help you with the dragons or leave the island. If you don't..." he trailed off, not sure how to make this sound like he wasn't threatening her.

But she finished the sentence for him by drawing her finger across her throat.

"Exactly."

She shook her head at this in a sad way.

"Can't you leave the same way you came?"

She shook her head again and drew her knees to her chest.

"Was your boat destroyed?"

It took her a second to shake her head.

"No boat? Then," he glanced to Toothless. "Dragon?"

She did not answer this and her face gave away nothing.

"Night Fury?"

Again, silence.

"Toothless and I can get you off this island and back home," he offered as he sat next to her. "As soon as the storm has cleared, we can go," he promised.

She glanced his way and shook her head again.

"Is it because you don't trust me?"

A nod and a shake of the head.

"This would be easier if you just talked to me."

That got her to smirk in a rather mocking manner. But the light on her face didn't last; with the roll of distant thunder, it faded.

"Alright, then the hard way it is," Hiccup conceded. "Why don't you want to leave? Do you like it here?"

She shook her head.

"Because of the attacking dragons and Vikings?"

A nod.

"Okay. So if it was just because of that, you would leave Berk?"

Another nod.

"Do you not want to leave because I would know where you are?"

No answer to this.

"You have to give me something!" Hiccup stated, almost frustrated.

The girl sighed before she looked at Hiccup. She pointed to him and then gestured up and down. She then did the same to herself.

"Is it because you're a hiccup? Because your people don't understand or accept you?"

She waved her finger in the air in mock celebration.

"That was my life before I met Toothless," he told her. "It's because of him that my village now lives in harmony with dragons." The girl gave Hiccup her full attention and before he knew it, Hiccup was spinning the tale of how he turned from Hiccup the Useless into Hiccup the Dragon Trainer, Hiccup the Dragon Conqueror and Hiccup the Useful.

"What I'm trying to say," he concluded just as the sun reached the tip of the pine trees. "There is hope for you too."

She only nodded once before she pointed to Toothless and then to the open air.

"You're right, it is getting late," Hiccup agreed as he stood. "Don't forget about tonight."

She tapped the side of her head with a bored look on her face.

Fully aware he had an audience, Toothless could barely sit still while Hiccup climbed onto his back. He glanced the girl's way with excited eyes before he jumped gracefully into the air. He heard the girl's small chuckle as he did a flip before zooming away.

"Showoff," Hiccup muttered, amused as his dragon gave a throaty laugh. "I hope she'll be okay," he said to himself. "We need to help her, bud. I just hate that it has to be after the longest storm of the year. I just wish she would let us help."

The boy glanced back, unable to see how the girl gathered her scales in a careful manner and set about placing them on her ripped boots. The wind picked up, his hair smacking his eyes.

A smile formed on Hiccups face as he changed Toothless's direction. "Come on, bud. I've got an idea."

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"Bani," Reign hissed, his eyes on the receding clouds. "You know that she will be vulnerable as soon as that storm hits the filth invested island she is stranded on."

The girl nodded, but her facial expression didn't change. "It doesn't matter, Reign. The last place we want to be is in the way of the thunder. That storm will bring her out, but it will also protect her."

"But you can go after her. You can watch her."

"Reign..."

"You _will_ watch her, Bani."

The girl's head fell. "Yes sir. Engage?"

The young man tapped his chin, the sheen of his slightly burned fingers glowing in the light of the setting sun. "Only if she is alone. Then drag her limp body to me. I want to see the fear in her eyes when I make her bait for the Vikings. I want her to know that we will look forward to her death as much as we do to Thor's. I want her to know her place."

Bani tried to suppress the cruel smirk, but had to settle for hiding it behind her hair.

"Death is not something you should smile at."

That made her lips fall in a slight tremor at the chill to Reign's slick voice.

"Not until it is done. Only then can we celebrate." He looked below him to the valley which teemed with life. "My father celebrated death too early and he had to pay for it with his own life. Don't let her distract you."

Bani nodded, but she was unable to hold back her words. "I thought that a downed dragon is a dead dragon. Especially when surrounded by predators."

Reign smirked at this and let out a mocking laugh. "But Bani," he stated, eyes shifting to her. "The fae is not a dragon."

Bani rolled her eyes at this. "You know what I meant, Reign," she snapped. "She is still more than capable of taking care of herself. As much as we hate it, she was a part of tribe."

"Hm," Reign hummed. He watched the scurries of playing children, the trades of adults and the low flying spirals of the dragons. "Harmony," he breathed. "That is what our ancestors managed to create. When they received the weight of the curse, they did not wait to turn to dust. They made their mark. Thrived. Survived. And now look at us."

"Sir?"

Reign shook his head. "I will not let this all be undone by the mistake of our parents. The fae needs to be taken care of, Bani. And the Vikings need to do it. And we need to be watching."

"Why?"

Reign turned his back to the girl as he headed back into the dark caverns of the mountain. "So we know when to celebrate."

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**Chibiyu: **_Sorry guys. I just finished moving, that is why I haven't been updating. College starts in a week and I start working tomorrow night. I hope that I will be able to pick up the weekly updates again, but it may change to every other week. I'll keep you all posted. Until Next Update (where I swear there will be entertaining action and awesomeness)!_


	6. The Murder of a Partner

**_The Murder of a Partner_**

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"Man the catapults!"

"Whoa!" Hiccup barely stayed on Toothless as his dragon spun under the tail of another. The pair both started at the sudden appearance of another dragon.

"Hiccup!" Stoic called as he watched his son dodged a burst of fire. "Get the other dragons! We need air power!"

"Right!" Hiccup yelled back, but Toothless had other plans. The dragon swerved up over the spikes of a Nadder and was lost in the clouds. "Toothless?" His dragon shook his head and continued to climb. "No," Hiccup redirected this tailfin. "You heard my dad. We have to help!"

His dragon fought with every foot they dropped and every shadow that raced passed them, but they made it to the ground. Hiccup glanced quickly around, astonished to see Meatlug pushing Fishlegs further into a corner, Stormfly with her spikes drawn as she refused to take off or let Astrid off her back. Hiccup was now in a similar situation. Every time he went to slide off Toothless, his dragon bucked him back into place and bolted into the shadow of a building.

"Toothless, what are you doing? We need to get out there!"

But the dragon didn't listen. Embers erupted in front of them, causing Toothless to back even further into the shaded corner.

"Hiccup?!" he heard his father yell. "Get those dragons out here!"

"I'm working on it!" he responded as he again tried to get his feet on the ground. "Toothless, come on!"

"Hiccup!" Astrid called as Stormfly skipped over the roofs. "Behind you!"

Toothless twirled around and accidently threw Hiccup form his back. The Night Fury charged the stalking Nightmare and the two rolled out of sight. As Stormfly landed in front of the teen, it became clear to Hiccup that this wasn't all it seemed. The dragons hiding and protecting their riders? Even Thornado had pushed Stoic behind him and was refusing to let the chief enter the battle.

This wasn't a raid, it wasn't even a search party. This attack was meant to destroy. Meant to be chaotic. These dragons were meant to kill.

"Watch out!"

Hiccup fall to the ground t avoid Stormfly's spikes as a black Gronckle came too close. Hiccup used this moment to push himself under the retreating dragon and effectively free himself of Stormfly's watchful eyes. He bolted across the burning village, dodged the charred wooden beams as they fell and ducked behind barrels to hide for a brief second; just like old times. To his left he heard Toothless roar as the Nightmare tried to gain the upper hand. But Toothless was faster and smarter. He jumped on a rooftop and blasted the Nightmare's face. Hiccup could only watch in awe as his dragon mercilessly followed the attack by pouncing onto the Nightmare's back and ripping into its scales.

That is, he could only watch in awe until he felt a long hot breath against the other side of his face. The teen instantly stiffened and eyes widened. He slowly turned to face the dragon, but saw nothing.

"Changewing," he whispered to himself as another hot puff sent shivers down his spine.

To glowing eyes appeared in front of him and narrowed into a glare.

"It's okay," Hiccup put his hands up, though he knew it was fruitless to try and tame this beast. "I'm not going to hurt you."

But this dragon would him.

It opened its powerful jaw and seemed to laugh at the little Viking who had nowhere to go. His back was to a dragon fight. His sides each held a hill that would either mean a pounced captured or a short chase. He was a toothpick, an appetizer. And this dragon was _hungry. _

It lunged and Hiccup lost his footing, falling back. The Changewing snapped up open air, eyes still on the boy. It took one stalking step forward. It began to hiss as the acid within its stomach began to boil.

Hiccup opened his mouth to call his dragon, but he knew that even Toothless wouldn't be fast enough. This is how it would end: the great dragon trainer of Berk being killed by a dragon. The irony was almost enough to stop the boy's heart.

"Get off!"

Both the dragon and Hiccup turned at this cry as Snotlout barreled Hookfang straight into the heart of Berk.

"Fling her off!" he ordered and Hookfang, for once, complied. With a flick of his massive tail, he sent a small figure flying. Right into the head of the Changewing.

"You?" Hiccup breathed as the girl slowly pulled herself from the immobile dragon. "How?"

She ignored him as she stood, her front covered in thick goo. Goo that came from the Changewing's head. Blood that spurred from the dagger imbedded firmly in its skull.

"You," Hiccup breathed as he stumbled a step back. "You killed it."

She yanked her dagger from the corpse, a look of sad satisfaction on her face.

"How?!"

She finally looked at him and shook her head.

"Did you follow me?"

A shrug.

"Did you know this would happen?"

She took a moment to stare at the rumbling thunderheads that loomed over the distance shores. And then she nodded.

"How?"

A finger pointed to the storm was all he was given before she grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

"I said towards the left!"

"And I said the right!"

The arguing that followed explained the sudden eruption all too well.

"I don't know who is more dangerous," Hiccup rolled his eyes. "The dragons, or the twins on a dragon." He turned to face the girl, but his cheek was met with a hard slap.

"Ow! What was that for?"

She glared at him and pointed to the battlefield and then to her head.

"I know, I know."

She shoved him towards his Night Fury, who was just about to drive the Nightmare from off of Berk's cliff.

"Are you going to help us?"

She looked hard and long at the young Viking boy, a flinch running through her frame every time another savage shouted or ran passed.

She shook her head, but pointed to Hiccup and then to Toothless.

"Helping us?"

A nod.

Hiccup almost smiled as he held out his hand. "Then we'll need you in the air with us."

The girl walked passed him after a second of staring at his open hand. She nodded towards Toothless, who was trotting back to the pair with a smug look on his face. He nudged the girl with his head before he met Hiccup's open hand with the tip of his nose.

"Ready to fly, bud?" he asked, unsure if Toothless was going to back him into another corner or not.

The Night Fury looked to the sky, which was full of allied foes dodging and ignited dragons attacking.

"We need to do this, Toothless," Hiccup tried. "Look, even she is going help us!"

Toothless looked to the girl, who nodded once. They stared at each other for a moment before the dragon huffed and lowered his head.

"Thanks, bud," Hiccup patted Toothless's shoulder in relief. He climbed on and was about to offer a hand for the girl, cut she nimbly jumped on after him. "Hold on," he told her. "This won't be nice flight."

But her hands never touched him – even when Toothless launched himself in the air and twisted around the attacks, she never once screamed out or grabbed onto him. He looked back once and saw the determination in her face as her hand squeezed the hilt of her dagger and the other steadied her balance. When they finally leveled out, they were only feet above the chaos.

"Alright, bud," Hiccup scanned the dragons. "There has to be something leading them. Why else would they be so organized?"

And it was true. The Gronckles were the wrecking balls: close to the ground and knocking over anything the Vikings could use for shelter. The Zipplebacks twisted around the few remaining catapults and gassed out the vision of the defenders before they ignited it. The Nightmares grabbed Vikings in an aerial attack and either dropped them or roasted them. And the Nadders zoomed across the night sky, confusing the protecting dragons and making landing all the more difficult.

"Look for their leader!" he called behind him as he felt the girl shift. "If we can take them out, then the dragons should follow!"

A hand on his shoulder had Hiccup craning his neck. The girl had stood on the back of his dragon, eyes far below Toothless's beating wings. She pointed towards the sea, but said no more as she leapt on Toothless's upstroke.

"Catch her!"

But the Night Fury was too slow. She had already fallen passed the reach of his claws. Hiccup had no choice but to spur Toothless into a steep dive that left both of their stomach's high in the clouds.

A flash of light had his dragon bucking and swerving. Hiccup's hair stood on end as the lightning tore open the air underneath them. And he clasped his ears as an earth shattering roar was birthed by the light.

"Oh, Thor," Hiccup yelled as Toothless continued to twist away. And then something hit him. "THE GIRL!"

Huge wings blocked the pairs' view. A dark gray mess with streaks of purple and the smell of charred scales was all they had to work with. Until the beast spun around and they were showered with blood. A figure had latched onto the dragon's neck and with a violent swing, was sent flying above it.

The dragon raced up to reach the flipping girl, mouth open wide to reveal a jagged set of teeth. But it was mistimed. The girl's foot whacked the Skrill's nose and made the dragon pull away in shock. She took that moment of distraction to grab onto the hooked horn on top of the beast's nose and bring her dagger straight down into one of its eyes.

All of Berk cringed at the sound of its shriek.

It jerked and flung the girl off again. Quick as one of Toothless's plasma blasts, she sank her dagger into its tail and it dragged down the entire length. The Skrill fell into the dark waters below with a mighty splash. And the girl finally looked back to the horrified duo.

Toothless dove down and snatched her just moments before she was flattened by the churning sea and swallowed by a rogue Thunderdrum that had just emerged from the crest.

With her dagger gone, she put one hand on Hiccup's shoulder as she tried to catch her breath. And for once, Hiccup had nothing to say. No questions. No sarcastic remarks. Nothing.

The dragons had all turned to watch them as Toothless landed back on the island. A few of the rogue's changed their flight patterns and swarmed away from Berk, but many stayed to glare at the girl. Hiccup felt her shiver and bow her head, but that was the only sign of weakness she allowed to show.

The peace ended as soon as Toothless finished his descent and landed. The girl launched herself from Toothless's back and pushed her away through the crowd of stunned Vikings. And the dragons followed her. She raced through the streets of Berk and over the hills to try and reach the forest, but the landscape would shift around her and herd her back into an open space.

Even with Toothless, Stormfly, Meatlug, Barf and Belch, and Hookfang trying to distract the attackers, they still managed to surround them and herd the girl into the middle of the circle.

"So," Stoic finally said in a hushed voice as the growls of dragons threatened to overtake them. "It's you they want."

It wasn't a question. It was a lead in to decide whether they fight or retreat.

"Why?"

The girl did not look at the chief. Her eyes were firmly planted on her feet.

"Why did you lead them to my village?"

"Dad - "

"No, Hiccup!" he rounded on his son. "I warned you that if the girl threatened Berk then we would have to deal with her!"

Everyone stood and watched as the toothpick of a boy cowered, but the fire in his eyes didn't die.

"She saved me, dad! More than once!"

Stoic rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't have needed saving if she didn't come here in first place!"

"She is like the dragons, dad!" Hiccup tried for a final time. "She isn't what she seems!"

"So she isn't a threat?" he nearly mocked his son's effort. "She isn't the reason my village is burning? You can't change my mind, Hiccup."

Hiccup opened his mouth, but no words came out. It was his turn to bow his head. His turn to look sadly at the girl who was glaring at his father like he was the most repulsive thing she had ever seen. But when Toothless moved behind Hiccup, the girl instantly turned her gaze to him and shook her head. The dragon stopped in mid-jump and put his front paws back on the ground. While this action shook a few, Stoic was remained unmoved.

"She's all yours," he spat to the demonic eyed Nightmare behind him. "Fall back."

"Dad, no!"

"Fall back, Hiccup."

The girl nodded to Hiccup as she lifted her head. The dragons closed in on her until she was surrounded by hisses and growls and fowl stenches. And she continued to stare calmly at Hiccup, who could only see because Toothless jumped onto a roof after nudging his rider onto his back. She shook her head slowly as she pointed to the dragons and then draw her finger across her throat.

They wouldn't kill her?

"What's the holdup?" Ruff huffed.

"Yeah," Tuff agreed as he climbed higher onto Belch's head. "Where is the mauling?"

The dragons continued to growl and stalk their would be prey, but they failed to launch a single attack. As did the girl.

"What's the matter?" Snotlout's voice sounded. "Afraid to take out a little girl? Hookfang and I will show them how it's done!"

"No!" Hiccup yelled as the two dove and landed, rather unsteadily, in front of the girl.

"No one hitchhikes on Hookfang!" the teen tried to justify his awful excitement. "And no one can kill a threat like a Viking! I'll show you stupid dragons how it's done."

"Enough!" Stoic ordered as Snotlout got off Hookfang. "I told you to fall back." He didn't even need to raise his voice to have the boy scampering away from the girl.

"But they aren't killing her!" Snotlout whined. "And she _is_ the entire reason they are here!"

"I know that," Stoic tried to stay calm. "So that makes it their fight, not ours."

"Aren't you even mad that she brought them here? She is just as much our kill as theirs!"

"You'd better stop talking," Astrid entered the conversation with a snarl. "Stormfly and I have been practicing our aim."

That shut him up.

"Either take your kill or leave Berk," Stoic bravely told the beasts. "We have nothing here for you."

The Nightmare closest to the girl, at these words, readied itself to lunge forward, but it was stilled by a curious thing.

Everyone looked skyward as rain began to fall. It started sow, but instantly grew into a downpour. The rogues all leapt into the air and raced away on the winds that began to rage.

"Lock her in the Academy," Stoic ordered. "Everyone else to the Great Hall. We'll deal with this after Thor is appeased."

"Shouldn't we give the lass a chance, Stoic?" Gobber finally spoke up as he followed his friend towards the old Dragon Arena. "Some food and a fire?"

"Open the old Zippleback cage for her," the chief ordered coldly as he watched the girl get dragged by the nape of her neck. Once this order was seen through, the girl was tossed unceremoniously into the empty pit and the door was slammed down an locked behind her. To Stoic, seeing the small girl stand in the center of the large ring, hair plastered to her face and eyes pleading for mercy – it was nothing new. He was a Viking. A Viking Chief who had to protect his village at all costs. And if this was the answer, than Stoic had to do it.

But for Hiccup, who could see the water filling the girl's eyes, the redness to her cheeks, and the way she wrapped her arms around herself – his heart broke. Her fingers curled around a small cut on her side that he hadn't previously seen and her weight shifted to her uninjured ankle; small changes that only Hiccup and Toothless would see. He caught her gaze and mouthed two simple words: "I'm sorry."

She turned her back to him and walked slowly into Barf and Belch's old cell and pulled the giant door nearly closed behind her.

"Alright," Stoic said as he clapped his hand on his son's shoulder. "Everyone to the Great Hall."

Hiccup, however, had something else in mind. "I'll catch up to you, dad. I uh," he stuttered as he glanced back to the arena. "I left something in the forge."

Stoic, otherwise occupied with ordering his people, lifted his hand with a sigh. "Just be quick. And _don't _go in the arena. If she escapes, then the blame will fall on you."

"Got it," Hiccup nodded, not really listening as he raced away from the crowd. He leapt into the forge, Toothless waiting behind him with a wing extended to shield himself from the pelting rain. The teen quickly picked up his latest project and ducked outside under his dragon's wing. The pair quickly made their way back to the arena, happy to find that it was deserted.

"Hey!" Hiccup called, hoping the girl would hear him over the rapidly approaching storm. "Come out for a second!"

It took a second, but the door opened and a air of glowing green eyes appeared.

"I have something of yours," Hiccup pulled out the thing he had been so carefully shielding under his tunic. He waved it and caught the way the girl's eyes widened. "Come on, bud," he told his dragon and they made their way down into the arena. Together, they opened the heavy door and made their way through, not bothering to close it behind them.

"Here," Hiccup smiled as the door opened all the way. "I found it after you scared the Nightmare away. And I fixed it for you." He held out the silver circlet and had to admire the way the tiny crystals in the wings reflected the small bit of light that was left.

As the girl went to step outside, Toothless shifted and stretched his wing further so it made a clear path for her. She smiled small at the dragon before she turned again to look at Hiccup. She slowly moved forward and gently wrapped her fingers around the thin headband. Hiccup let it go and watched the girl slowly lift it and cradle it against her chest.

"I'm sorry about this," Hiccup repeated, eyes going to the way her hair stuck to her nearly blue lips. "My father is always like this when it comes to new things. But he'll change his mind. You'll see."

The girl looked up at him, then down to the headband, and then back up to him. And she smiled.

Hiccup stopped his ranting at this and smiled back. "You're welcome," he whispered. "And between you and me," he leaned closer to her and pointed to the chains covering the arena. "Those _always _break during this storm."

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"She...she!"

"Killed him? Yes, yes she did."

"Reign!" Bani turned on the young man, tears in her eyes but murder on her face. "How can you be so uncaring?!"

The man shrugged once, impassive. "I did tell you to not engage. This is what happens when you disobey me."

"You said that the Vikings needed an incentive to rid of her, and I gave them one!"

Reign nodded. "Yes, but you did it the wrong way. Now they believe that the dragons want to kill her. And, while they do, they cannot."

"So he died for nothing?"

Reign tapped his fingers to his pointed chin. "Perhaps not, Bani. All we need to do is make the girl kill a Berkian, then they will have the same amount of reason to kill her as the dragons do."

"And if it doesn't work?"

Reign shook his head. "Then we step in and make sure it is done."

"Killing her should be _my _task," Bani chocked back another sob.

Reign laughed at this. "She has threatened to kill our entire race and you claim her head? How foolish. Now, Bani, I grow tired of hearing your cries. Mourn. You will be allowed to speak again when the girl is on her deathbed. I feel like nothing less than that will cheer you up."

Bani nodded, her tongue now held.

"As for the matter of when we attack," he looked to the clear skies and pursed his lips. "The storm should now be upon the Viking village. It will be impossible to navigate through the skies now that our Skrill is dead."

He sighed once and looked towards the girl. "If she escapes our sight, it will be your head that rolls."

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**Chibiyu: **_Hey guys! FUN stuff happening next chapter! And I just wanted to thank everyone who is following and has put this story in their favorites. That means more to me than reviews ever could. Until Next Update!_


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